Adjustable back rest chair structure



1951 A. c. HOVEN ETAL 2,573,845

ADJUSTABLE BACK REST CHAIR STRUCTURE Filed June 28, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet l grwwwtom Alfred C. Haven w" n alier EJNbrdmavli Nov. 6., 1951 A. c. HOVEN ETAL 2,573,845

ADJUSTABLE BACK REST CHAIR STRUCTURE Filed June 28, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet z gvwe/wtm I Alfred C. Haven 2? F Eelfev fiamrdmarli' A C. HOVEN ET AL ADJUSTABLE B ACK Flled June 28' 1948 REST CHAIR STRUCTURE 4 Sheets-s Alfred I H0 lien Willi'et' l jvbrdmat'li Nov. 6, 1951 A. c. HOVEN ET AL ADJUSTABLE BACK REST CHAIR STRUCTURE t 4 a a t e m w v d q u w 0 v w H a e e h 1 M: 5 fl uaw N n C 3 mv... m E m h d v e e on M m W a X 5 a M 9 6 J 9 Wa 5 3 8 2 9 m w m 6 TU 1Q 0 .m i 5 H F M Patented Nov. 6, 1951 ADJUSTABLE BACK REST CHAIR STRUCTURE Alfred C. Hoven and Walter E. Nordmark, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignors to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 28, 1948, Serial No. 35,616

2 Claims. (Cl. 155-461) The present invention relates to chair structures and more particularly to chairs of the recliner type especially suitable for installation in motorbusses or other vehicles. Certain of the subject matter herein disclosed, specifically the structure shown in Figures 6 through 9 of the drawings herein, is claimed in our co-pending divisional application, Serial No. 240,134 filed August 3, 1951.

, The primary objects of the invention are to provide a chair structure having improved mechanism by means of which the chair back may be tilted rearwardly at the will of the chair occupant so that the occupant assumes a more restful position, which is particularly desirable for people occupying the seats of motorbusses or other vehicles; to provide such an improved recliner mechanism which is particularly simple and rugged in construction, which is free of rattle or other noise when installed in a vehicle, which is foolproof in operation, and which may quicklyl'be disassembled for the repair or replacement of any of its operating parts; to provide such a recliner chair which is comfortable for the occupant thereof; to provide an improved upholstered back for the chair which may be quickly assembled; and in general to provide such a recliner type chair which is efficient in use, reasonably economical in manufacture, and attractive in appearance.

These and any other and more specific objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, and the invention finds preferable embodiment in, the

structure hereinafter particularly described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, wherein: a

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a two-passenger chair of the recliner type adapted for installation in a vehicle, the upholstered seat cushion having been omitted in this view in order to disclose the operating mechanism for the chair backs;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the supporting frame for the chair and operating parts associated therewith, shown partly in section taken on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view of certain operating mechanism of the structure, the section being taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3 and also indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 5; I

Figure 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary vertical sectional view of the same and additional oper- 2 ating parts, taken on line 55 of Figure 3 and also indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a rear elevational view of a chair back for the structure, parts thereof being broken away to reveal the back frame;

Figure 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of the chair back taken on line 'll of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view of the chair back taken on line 8-8 of Figure 6; and

Figure 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, horizontal sectional view of the chair back taken on line 9-9 of Figure 6.

Referring now in detail to these drawings wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals in the several views, the chair there shown is of the recliner type suitable for installation in a motorbus, and is mounted on a supporting frame Ill fabricated of a generally U- shaped length of metal tubing and supported at one side (the aisle side in the vehicle) by a standard ll to which the supporting frame is secured by means of screws I2 passing through brackets l3, M welded to the frame and threaded in lugs I5, l6 respectively which are cast on the standard II. The standard II is secured to the floor of the vehicle by means of bolts I1 and is desirably provided with an upholstered arm rest Hi. The other side of the supporting frame I0 is provided with brackets 19, 20 welded thereon and adapted to be secured to similar brackets on the wall of the vehicle by means of bolts indicated at 2 I.

The rearward ends of the horizontal legs of the U-shaped length of tubing In which forms the supporting frame, are turned upwardly and terminate in aligned horizontal bearings 22, 23. A short length of tubing 24 has its forward end welded to the U-shaped tubing in the middle thereof and its rearward portion welded to a supporting leg 25, while the extreme rearward end of this short length of tubing 24 is turned upwardly and terminates in a horizontal bearing 26 which is in alignment with, and midway between, the bearings 22 and 23. A depressed cross-brace 21 also of metal tubing connects the opposite sides of the supporting frame and serves to strengthen the structure.

The chair seat 28, indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, is of conventional upholstered construction and is supported on the supporting frame I0, preferably removably, by any suitable means.

The chair backs 29, 30 for the occupants of.

the two-passenger chair, have substantially identical construction, mountings and operating mechanisms, and therefore only one of them the one on the aisle side of the structureis shown and described here in detail. This chair back 30 is built upon a back frame comprising two frame units 3! 32 (see Figures 6-9 inclusive) fabricated of channel bars and bent to generally U-shaped configuration with the channels opening inwardly, and the frame unit 32 has it flanges welded to the flanges of the frame unit 3| with the webs of said units spaced apart to form a hollow rectangular cross-section providing a very strong back frame for the chair back. The leg portions of the outer frame unit 3| extend below the leg portions of the inner frame unit 32, and

the channels at the extreme lower ends of the leg portions of the outer frame unit 3| are desirably closed by means of welded-on plate 33. The lower ends of the inner frame unit 32 are connected by a channel bar crossrail 34 (see Figures 6 and 8) secured thereto by welding. The rearwardmost flanges of the inner frame unit 32 and of the crossrail 34 are provided with integrally formed, inwardly extending spurs 35 for the attachment of upholstery.

The back frame defines an opening which is closed by a panel over which the upholstering is applied. This panel may be of rigid material such as sheet metal and secured to the front surface of the back panel as by welding. However in practice we prefer to make the panel of an upholstery sheet 36 of fabric, leather or the like, which is stretched over the front surface of the back frame and has its marginal edges drawn rearwardly around the outer periphery of the back frame and pinned onto the spurs 34, said spurs piercing the sheet 36 so as to secure it firmly in position on the back frame. Upholstery filling, here shown as comprising an inner layer of rubberized hair 3'! and an outer layer of cotton padding 38 (although other upholstering materials, with or without springs, might be used) is disposed over the front surface of the upholstery sheet 36. A second upholstery sheet 39 likewise of fabric, leather or other suitable material, is stretched over the front surface of the upholstery filling and has its marginal edges likewise drawn rearwardly around the outer periphery of the back frame and pinned onto the spurs 3 This front upholstery sheet 39 i preferably tailored to give the chair a neat and attractive appearance, and the upper portion of the chair back protrudes slightly forwardly to form a head-rest to which may be attached a towel in conventional manner.

The opposite sides of the back frame are connected in their lower regions by a torque tube 40 (see Figures 6 and 8) which prevents twisting of the chair back, and a corrugated metal scuffplate 4| is hooked over the torque tube 40 dependingly therefrom and has its lower edge 42 flanged forwardly and upwardly to embrace the lower portion of the upholstery sheet 39. A metal finishing rim 43, preferably decoratively chromeplated, is of channel-bar construction and is bent to generally U-shaped configuration with the channel opening outwardly. This finishing rim 43 is applied to the back frame as best seen in Figures 6, '7 and 9, and secured thereto by means of screws 44, thus concealing the back frame, the spurs 34, and the raw edge of the upholstering sheets '36 and 39.

The opposite side portions of the back frame form posts by means of which the chair back is 4 mounted on the supportin frame for tilting movement about a horizontal axis above and rearwardly of the seat bottom. These posts are provided with pintles 45 and 46 which extend outwardly through the upholstering materials. The pintles 4'5 and 46 are disposed in the horizontally aligned bearings 26 and 23 respectively on the chair structures supporting frame, and the rhair back is thus mounted for tilting movement about a horizontal axis between its near-vertical position shown in full lines in Figure 2 and various positions of tilt, or recline, such as that indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2.

The mechanism for controlling the tilt of the chair back 30 is best seen in Figures 1-5 inclusive. It comprises a horizontal cross-bar 41 of metal tubing the ends of which are turned rearwardly, flattened, and pivotally connected at %8 to the lower ends of the back frames side posts, which extend below the level of the seat bottom. A cylindrical tubular metal arm 49 is rigidly secured as by welding to the horizontal cross-bar 4'! intermediate the latters ends thus closing the rearward end of this tubular arm 49, and said arm 49 extends forwardly into telescopic sliding engagement within a tubular metal sleeve member 50 the forward end of which is connected to the supporting frame I0 pivotally about a horizontal axis beneath the forward portion of the seat bottom by means of a cross-piece 5| of tubing having bearing pieces 52 in its ends which are journalled on a rod 53 the opposite ends of which are secured as by spinning to spaced lugs 54 secured by welding to the supporting frame I D. A helical compression spring 55 is disposed within the tubular sleeve member 50 and the tubular arm '49 and bears against the closed rearward end of the tubular arm and against the closed forward end of the sleeve member for urging the tubular arm rearwardly and the chair back toward its normal, near-vertical position, said movement being limited by contact of a stop 56 welded to the underside of the tubular arm with the cross-brace 21 of the supporting frame.

Mechanism for positioning the back at the de sired angle of inclination comprises a manual push-button 57 mounted on top of an operating rod 58 vertically slidably disposed in a bearing member '59 rigidly secured as by welding to the supporting frame If]. The lower end of the operating rod 58 is pivotally connected to an arm 60 of a, bell crank lever 6| pivotally connected at 32 to a bracket 63 secured as by welding to the sup porting frame In. A connecting rod 64 connects the other arm 35 of the bell crank lever 31 to a of a series of notches 7| in the side wall of thetubular arm 49 thus to prevent longitudinal sliding movement of the tubular arm 49 within "the sleeve member 53 and secure the back frame and the back carried thereby in selectively tilted -position. A tension spring 12 is connected to the latch member 66 and to the bracket 63 on the supporting frame I!) for maintaining the latch member in a normal raised position of engage-' ment in one or another of the notches "H in' the tubular arm 49, and said spring also maintains the operating rod 58 in a raised position. It will be seen that the push-button 51 is readily accessible to an occupant of the chair, and that the occupant may depress the button thus releasing the detent 69 from its engagement with the notched arm 49 and by leaning back with more or less pressure he may position the back at the desired tilt. The button 51 is then released whereupon spring 12 effects engagement of the detent 99 in one or another of the notches ll thus to lock the chair back in adjusted tilted position.

If desired, the recliner may be provided with a foot-rest for the use of an occupant seated in the chair to the rear. Such a foot-rest is shown in the drawings, being in the form of a horizontal metal tube 13 having its opposite ends secured to the outer ends of arms 14 swingably connected to brackets 15 secured by welding to the supporting frame H0. The foot-rest is thus swingable to raised and lowered positions, and when in the lowered position it is prevented from further lowering movement by the contact of extensions 16 on the arms 14 with stops 1'! on brackets 15. (See Figure 2.)

It will thus be seen that the invention provides a chair of the recliner type which is simple and sturdy in construction, attractive in appearance and emcient in operation, and while but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described it will be understood that many details of the particular construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a chair structure: a supporting frame; a chair seat mounted on the frame; a back frame having upright side posts connected to the supporting frame tiltably about a horizontal axis above and rearwardly of the seats bottom and said side posts extending below the level of the seat bottom; a chair back on the back frame; a horizontal cross-bar having its opposite ends pivotally connected to the lower ends of the back frames side posts; a tubular member connected to the frame pivotally about a horizontal axis beneath the forward ortion of the seat bottom and extending rearwardly from said connection, said tubular member having a closed forward end; a tubular arm rigidly connected to the cross-bar intermediate the latters ends and extending forwardly therefrom in telescopic sliding engagement with said tubular member, said tubular arm having a closed rearward end; cooperating latching means on the tubular member and the tubular arm for securing the tubular arm in longitudinally slid position relative to the tubular member to thus secure the back frame and the back carried thereby in adjusted tilted position; a helical compression spring disposed within the tubular member and the tubular arm with its opposite ends bearing against the closed forward end of the tubular member and against the closed rearward end of the tubular arm for urging the tubular arm rearwardly; and means on the supporting frame accessible to the chair occupant for engaging and disengaging said latching means.

2. In a chair structure: a supporting frame; a chair seat mounted on the frame; a back frame having upright side posts connected to the supporting frame tiltably about a horizontal axis above and rearwardly of the seats bottom and said side posts extending below the level of the seat bottom; a chair back on the back frame; a horizontal cross-bar having its opposite ends pivotally connected to the lower ends of the back frames side posts; a tubular sleeve member connected to the frame pivotally about a horizontal axis beneath the forward portion of the seat bottom and extending rearwardly from said connection, said sleeve member having a transverse slot through a side wall thereof and having a closed forward end; a tubular arm rigidly connected to the cross-bar intermediate the latters ends and extending forwardly therefrom in telescopic sliding engagement within said tubular sleeve member, said arm having transverse notches in a side wall thereof adapted to register with the sleeve members slot in various longitudinally slid positions of the arm in the sleeve and in corresponding various tilted positions of the back frame and the back carried thereby, and said tubular arm having a closed rearward end; a helical compression spring disposed within the tubular member and the tubular arm with its opposite ends bearing against the closed forward end of the tubular member and against the closed rearward end of the tubular arm for urging the tubular arm rearwardly; a latch member pivotally mounted on the sleeve and having a detent movable through the sleeve member's slot into engagement with one or another of the notches in said tubular arm whereby the arm is secured against longitudinal movement in the sleeve and the back frame and back carried thereby are secured in selectively tilted position; and means on the supporting frame accessible to the chair occupant for engaging and disengaging said detent with the notches in said tubular arm.

ALFRED C. HOVEN. WALTER. E. NORDMARK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,501,533 Feasel July 15, 1924 2,162,060 Churchill June 13, 1939 2,268,765 Monroe Jan. 6, 1942 2,283,485 Beck May 19, 1942 2,333,311 Greitzer Nov. 2, 1943 2,336,013 Hamilton Dec. 7, 1943 

